Pawlowski A Trained Liar

I didn't attend the mayor's testimony, but I can hear his lies.  I can hear the little insincere laugh that he injects to punuate his fibs. I can hear him saying that he had no idea about all the the corruption occurring on his behalf, behind his innocent back.

I can imagine the hours that he was coached by McMahon for this performance.  Although he needed McMahon's coaching for the specific legal defense,  he already had the lying down to a science.  In 2005 I attended 31 campaign performances by his liarship; He is good at it.  Credit McMahon for knowing a natural born liar when he meets one.  It was for this reason that McMahon was so anxious to get Pawlowski on the stand.  It was for this reason that one reporter even described Pawlowski's testimony as jovial.  He actually enjoys lying.

Early Thursday morning Pawlowski posted the link shown above that he was horrified by play to pay claims to his facebook page.  Next week we'll probably learn if the jury believes him.

Wrong Decision, Wrong Reporter At Allentown City Council

In a council vote headed  by Daryl Hendricks,  Tom Muller was rejected to start serving as Managing Director.  He correctly told council, “The mayor is across the street all the time right now and someone needs to be tending the shop,”  Although Hendricks stated that he would favor the appointment after the trial, Muller stated that he would have to re-evaluate his offer to serve. I know that Hendricks' dissenting vote wasn't unexpected, but Muller thought that he would be appointed by a 6 to 1 margin. I believe that Allentown may have lost the option of an experienced administrator for a political reason, nothing unusual for this city.

This meeting was covered by Daryl Nerl, now a freelancer for the Morning Call.  Nerl was Pawlowski's first and last supporter. As the full time Allentown beat reporter for the paper in 2005, his coverage of that election was notably biased for Pawlowski. When Mike Fleck closed his office and fled Allentown, Nerl was in his employ promoting Pawlowski.  His assignment to cover Pawlowski related news is ill-advised, nothing unusual for this paper.

photocredit: WFMZ-TV/ 69 News

Rumble In South Whitehall

In real estate no good deed goes unpunished. The farm on the corner of Cedar Crest Blvd. and Walbert Avenue watched the surrounding area develop into houses, a shopping plaza and office park. Now that the owners finally want to develop their parcel, the neighbors are in an uproar. When the municipal building was too small to hold a public meeting on the topic, it was switched to a school auditorium. The protestors have the usual complaints about traffic congestion and overcrowded schools. As a property rights advocate, I believe that the owners have the same rights to develop their land as did all the adjoining complainers. The topic of proper local government is what brings us to this post.

According to The Morning Call, an elected township commissioner told the large crowd that he agrees with them that the project, as designed, would be too much of an imposition on the township. I believe that his crowd pandering had a political motivation, and he was acting improperly as a legislator. Furthermore, as a political gesture he stated that the entire township should have been invited,  rather than just the adjoining neighbors. Understand that he appoints the planning commission and the zoners, who have jurisdiction over such matters. That public meeting was not the place for his opinion, although in South Whitehall the commissioners do have the final say.

There is however another topic on which he could properly express himself. The voters of South Whitehall voted to preserve Wehr's Dam. He and his fellow commissioners have been absolutely silent on their intentions and plans about the dam, and are allowing the Wildlands Conservancy to lobby the state for condemnation.

Small local government at its worse.

For reasons unknown to me, some comments recently submitted to posts have been going into the blog's spam folder, rather than being published.  I apologize if your comment(s) hasn't appeared. 

CastleRock

CastleRock took place in the cavernous Dorney Park dance-hall, Castle Garden. The "Garden" was built in the early 20's and hosted all the famous big bands of that era. By the late fifties it was called CastleRock. The Philadelphia recording stars, such as Frankie Avalon and Freddy Cannon would routinely perform. By my teenage era, in the early mid 60's, it was mostly disc jockeys. The Park was free, no admission. Pay to park, and maybe a buck or so for the dance-hall.







By then the nightclub tables shown in the photograph were gone, and sitting was around the sides. There were no shootings, and rowdiness was restricted to sneaking on a ride without buying a ticket. The dance-hall overlooked the lake, it was destroyed by a fire on Thanksgiving in 1985.

Reprinted from January 2013

Pawlowski Supporters

The above screen grab is a recent example of Pawlowski support taken from an Allentown facebook group.  I have redacted the author's name, because this post is about Pawlowski supporters in general, regardless of their particular motivation.

Are most Pawlowski supporters uninformed, while others even contrary and disingenuous?  While I also have previously referred to many as unethical,  in truth why would I care about which conditions afflict this group?  The problem unfortunately is that they might sooner than later determine Allentown's leadership. Although it took essentially a three way race to re-elect Pawlowski this time, clearly a third of the voters went with him, despite the indictment.

From facebook and other social media, we learn that most of his supporters are both low information and low expectation types.  Pawlowski himself keeps posting any link that suggests he might be less than completely guilty.  Which choir he is attempting to preach to continues to baffle me.

Truth be told I'm not optimistic about Allentown's political future.  Within the last decade a perfect storm of political opportunism and indifference has apparently drowned the city.

Issues With The NRA

I'm a supporter of the 2nd Amendment. Although that is a right which I defend, as an engaged citizen I appreciate living in a society of laws. There are rights and laws, and we can all live within them. I do not blindly consider every regulation as a curtailment of my rights, or as a slippery slope which will erode them, as does the NRA.  I can exercise my rights in a responsible manner, without purposefully provoking those who feel differently about this issue.

Each November the NRA sends its current and former members a card telling them whom they should vote for in their district, to protect their 2nd Amendment rights. Although their member magazine often features hunting rifles, the organization must also think of their members as sheep, who should only care about one issue. As Americans we should guard our right to own firearms,  but never tolerate being told how to vote.

I support Americans For Responsible Solutions, the group started by Mark Kelly and  Gabby Giffords.  They both value their right to own a fireman,  but appreciate the need for greater controls against irresponsible ownership.

Shown above is a 38 special, gifted upon Frank Sinatra by the Miami Beach Police & Firemen's Association.  

Fools For Pawlowski

In yesterday's post I wrote about tiptoeing through the Pawlowski minefield. We will see a parade of character witnesses testify that their contributions were made because of Pawlowski's leadership and accomplishments, not to gain the work which they received.  What else can they say and not incriminate themselves? Pawlowski's attorney, Jack McMahon, organized the parade,  composed of some of Allentown's most prestigious attorneys.  The downside for them is that everybody knows that Pawlowski was at best just a self-serving opportunist. Those who testify they felt that Pawlowski moved Allentown forward know full well that he was only the ribbon cutter for the NIZ, not the engine behind it. Those who say that they thought he was governor or senator material only erode their credibility even farther.  It is their hope that the trial end soon, and that their testimony be forgotten; For the most part it will be.

photocredit: The Morning Call

Tiptoeing Through Pawlowski's Minefield

If the witnesses who haven't pleaded guilty seem to hem and haw about what expectations they had for their contributions or services to Pawlowski,  understand that they do not want to openly admit that they participated in a pay to play scheme.  Although they may be offered immunity from prosecution,  they still have their careers to consider.  Some may be attorneys, and others may even have their own political plans.  Their objective is to get into and out of the federal courthouse with as little damage to their own reputation as possible.  If their evasive answers result in Pawlowski being acquitted, in their mind that's better than sacrificing their own future.

A problem for Allentown going forward is the people who supported him this last November.  Although most of them are not policy makers,  some have their own ambitions for elected office.  Imagine the ethics they would bring to the table?

photocredit: The Morning Call